Kathakoca or Treasury of Stories

Author(s): C H Tawney
Publisher: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation New Delhi

Page 34

ablutions, his bathing-seat also disappeared. He went to worship the god at the appointed time, but lo! the instruments used in the worship of the god disappeared, and at this moment he heard the news of the sinking of his ships. He sat down to take his food, when a plate disappeared; thirty-two golden cups for distributing vegetables and thirty-two spoons also were gone. A plate began to shake. He seized the plate with his hand as it was going off, and it went off leaving a piece behind.* Subsequently a man came to borrow money. He said: 'I must have a lakh ; give it me.' When he went to look at his hoards, behold all his wealth had become dust. Seized with despondency, he took leave of his mother, and set out for a foreign country, taking with him the fragment of the plate. He ascended a mountain, and preparing to commit suicide, he was engaged in reciting his wishes for the next life, when a hermit in a cave, who was in the statuesque posture, saw him, and exclaimed : 'Çrípati, do not act rashly; by such a death you will attain the condition of a demon ; do not die an evil death, forIn taking the halter, and in swallowing poison, in fire, and in enter
ing the water, Wearied by hunger and thirst, they slay themselves, and become
demons. Therefore do not inflict death on yourself.' Srípati drew near and bowed before the saint. The saint said : Why are you intent on death ? Çrípati said: 'Hermit, the burning up of my wealth afflicts me.' The hermit said :
Crípati, wealth is unsubstantial, filthy, the cause of enmity; of this I will give you an instance :
Once on a time, in this very land of Bharata, there was
& town named KoçaSTORY OF DEVADHARMA AND DEVAÇARMAN.
AN. vardhana. In it there was a Bráhman named Bhíma. He had two sons, named Devadharma and Devaçarman. Being afflicted with poverty,
* I have been much assisted in this passage by Muni Atiárám-ji, whom Dr. Hoernle kindly consulted for me. I have followed his Hindi paraphrase pretty closely.